


Protecting Tony Stark

by Gothic_Lolita



Series: Stark Men Are Made Of Hope [2]
Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bonding, Fluff, Gen, It all works out though, Not Steve Friendly At The Beginning, Protective Harley, Protective Peter, Stark Men Are Made Of Hope Series, Tony Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2019-01-27 16:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12586200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gothic_Lolita/pseuds/Gothic_Lolita
Summary: When Harley and Peter find out what happened in Siberia, they're a bit more than pissed.





	Protecting Tony Stark

**Author's Note:**

> Per popular demand, I am making this a series! Once I figure out how to make a series... Fear not! I shall figure it out! Anyhow, a bit of Steve related angst, but it's all resolved in the end, don't worry.

Harley was hiding in the workshop, waiting for the perfect moment to scare his dad. Uncle Clint had given him the idea. He was about to jump out when Uncle Steve came into the shop.

"Tony, we need to talk." Steve started, folding his arms like he did whenever he was scolding Harley.

"Steve, if this is about Siberia, I-"

"Tony," Steve cut him off. "This is about Siberia, and everything that happened with Siberia." He sighed. "Tony, I had no idea that I..."

"That you what?" Tony snapped. Harley resisted the urge to flinch. He didn't like it when his dad was angry. "That when you slammed your shield into my chest, you went straight through my suit and hit my chest? That you snapped my collarbone, collapsed a lung, and broke six ribs? That if I still had that damned arc reactor in my chest you would've killed me? Is that what you didn't know, Rogers?" Tony demanded.

Steve winced. "Tony, I'm sorry. You... You're larger than life, and sometimes I forget there's a man under all that metal."

Tony shook his head. "Well, you're forgiven, now leave me alone."

"Tony, that's not talking it out, that's burying it," Steve said, his voice heavy with exasperation.

"Well, that's how I get over things, Rogers. Deal with it." Tony dismissed.

"You don't have anything to say to me? Apologize for, yell at me, something?" Steve asked, his eyes begging.

"What do you want me to say, Steve?" Tony demanded. "You... damnit Steve, you lied to me. You bitch and rag on me for Ultron, for not telling anyone, but you... you didn't even tell me you knew my parents were fucking murdered!" Tony almost shouted, running his hand through his hair.

"I didn't think you'd want to know. I... I guess I thought I was protecting you." Steve admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Protecting me?" Tony repeated, his voice deadly quiet. "From what, Rogers? The fucking truth? You lied to me, Steve. That's not protection, that's distrust." He snarled. "And then you fucking left me bleeding and injured in an abandoned bunker... in  _ **Siberia**_!"

"Tony, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Steve apologized over and over as if it would make it better.

"Just... get out, fucking get out," Tony ordered. Steve left.

Tony put his head in his hands, his breath coming out shakily. Harley crept over to the elevator, making it open and close as if he had just come in. He ran over to Tony.

"Dad, are you okay?" Harley tugged on Tony's arm.

"Harley, what-what are you doing here?" Tony forced out.

"I was looking for you. Dad, you need to breathe." Harley reminded him.

Tony tried to take deeper breaths, tried to stop his shaking hands. "I-I'm fine, I'm fine." He mumbled.

"No, you're not. But that's okay. Stark men are made of hope, right dad? You're the mechanic, I know you can put yourself back together again. You always do." Harley insisted.

Tony's hands were still shaking when he looked down at Harley. Tony fell to his knees and hugged Harley tightly, and Harley hugged back.

"God, I fucking love you, kid," Tony muttered.

Harley buried his face into Tony's shoulder, reveling in his father's earthy, motor oil laced scent. "I love you too, dad."

 

* * *

 

Harley was alone in his room, thinking about what Uncle Steve had said to his dad. His mind turned over the words again and again.

"FRIDAY, do you have footage from dad's suit from when he was in Siberia?" Harley asked slowly.

" _Yes, I do._ " The AI responded.

"Play it, please."

There was a moment of hesitation as if FRIDAY didn't want to have to show Harley the video, but she was programmed to do whatever Harley told her to. If needed, Harley could even override Tony's commands.

Harley watched the scene unfold with wide eyes. It started out simply enough, Tony breaking into the bunker to help Bucky and Steve. Then it just all went south. Harley flinched watching the video within the video of Tony's parents being killed, then watching his own father fight two men he called uncles. When Steve slammed his shield into Tony's chest, Harley was crying, hugging himself as he watched them leave Tony on the cold ground.

When the footage ended, Harley sniffed, wiping away his tears. He thought about it. Bucky wasn't really to blame, Harley decided. He wasn't always 'all there' in his head, or at least, that's how Tony put it. But Steve, Steve had _ **lied**_  to Tony and  _ **hurt**_  him. Harley decided then that he hated Captain America.

 

* * *

 

"Harley, do you want to come play frisbee with me and Bucky?" Steve offered, finding the young boy doing his homework.

"I have homework." Harley scowled, not looking up.

"It's Friday kiddo, you have the whole weekend. Come on, the weather's great." Steve persuaded.

"I'm busy, go away." Harley snapped as harshly as he could.

Steve blinked in surprise, then slowly walked out of Harley's mood, figuring the kid was just in a bad mood.

After a week of being either ignored, snapped at, or glared at by Harley, Steve finally brought it to Tony.

"I think your son is upset with me." Steve started, walking into the shop as Tony was working on Bucky's arm.

"I have two kids, Capsicle. Gotta be specific." Tony muttered, not looking up.

"Harley." Steve specified. "He won't do anything with me, he barely talks to me, he won't even  _ **look**_  at me without glaring."

"Do you know how hard it is to piss off Harley? He'll forgive anything." Tony mused, then glared at Steve. "So what the hell did you do to my kid, Rogers?"

"Nothing!" Steve insisted. "He just... stopped liking me, suddenly. I don't get it. Tony, I swear, I've only ever been the best to him."

Tony glanced up at him, thinking a moment. " _ **Fine.**_  I'll ask Peter to talk to him, figure out what's going on."

Steve sighed with relief. "Thank you."

 

* * *

 

"Hey, Harley." Peter smiled, sitting next to Harley on his bed.

"Hi," Harley said, looking up.

"I wanted to ask you something." Peter started. Harley stared at him, waiting for the question. "Well, everyone is wondering why you're mad at Steve. What's wrong?" He asked carefully, keeping his voice gentle.

Harley's face snapped into a scowl. "Because he hurt dad. They fought and dad got hurt really bad and Cap lied to him."

Peter frowned. "Harley, if you're talking about what happened at the airport, I was there. Steve was-"

"No, what happened in Siberia! Dad was fighting Cap and Terminator because Cap lied to him about dad's parents and they fought and... and dad almost died!" Harley was fighting off tears.

Peter's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"FRIDAY, play the footage from-from dad's suit from Siberia," Harley said, and the footage flickered to life.

Peter carefully watched what happened, eyes wide with horror the enter time. When he saw Steve lift his shield over Tony's chest, he instinctively snapped his hand up to cover Harley's eyes, even knowing that Harley had already seen it.

When the video ended, Peter was breathing hard, protectively tugging Harley into his chest. "Oh," Peter whispered.

"I hate him," Harley insisted.

"I'm sure... I'm sure Steve had a good reason..." Peter tried to reason, tried to set a good example for Harley.

"He said himself that violence without a cause is pointless..." Harley sniffed. "He's a big meanie."

"I know." Peter sighed. "But you have to talk to him about it, at least tell him why you're ignoring him. It's the right thing to do, Harley."

Harley thought a moment. "Only if you punch him."

"Why would I punch him?" Peter blinked.

"You stole his shield once." Harley countered.

Peter shook his head. "That was... different."

"Please?" Harley gave him puppy eyes.

Peter hesitated. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he did really want to punch Cap. "Fine, but afterward, we have to all talk it out. Deal?"

Harley thought a moment. "Deal."

 

* * *

 

Harley and Peter came into the kitchen, where Steve and Tony were waiting.

"So are we ready to sort whatever this is out?" Tony arched an eyebrow.

"Not yet," Peter said.

Keeping his promise, Peter swept across the room, pulling back his arm and putting every inch of his super strength into punching Steve in the nose.

Steve went flying across the kitchen, and through the wall into the living room. Steve staggered to his feet, cupping a bleeding nose with a groan.

"Peter!" Tony scolded, giving his son an incredulous look. "What the fuck was that, kid?"

Peter shrugged. "He deserved it."

Tony stared at him with wide eyes. "You don't just punch people, Peter!"

"Well you don't just slam your shield into someone else's chest, so I guess we're even." Peter shot back, glaring at Steve.

Tony's glare disappeared and was replaced by a confused look. "That's what this is about?"

Harley ran over and hugged Tony's leg. "He could've killed you," Harley mumbled.

Tony sighed. He crouched, so he was eye level with Harley. "How did you know about that?"

"I heard you talking about it when you have the anxiety attack," Harley explained.

"Damnit, kid," Tony said and hugged Harley. "Harley, sometimes grown-ups fight. And sometimes those grown-ups have powerful weapons. Steve and I both did things we regret, and we're both sorry about it. But we can't change the past, no one can. We can only learn from our mistakes. Steve and I are both learning from that mistake. We can't change the past, but we can hope for a better future. Stark men are made of hope, right?" Tony forced a small, sad smile.

"Stark men are made of hope." Harley echoed, burying his face into Tony's chest. Tony kissed his head.

"And Peter," Tony sighed. "You have anything you want to say?" He arched an eyebrow.

Peter thought for a moment. "No, I understand, I guess. I just really wanted to punch him." He admitted, shrugging sheepishly.

Harley pulled away from Tony and walked over to Steve, who was now standing again, holding a hand over his bleeding nose. "I'm sorry I told Peter to punch you. And that I ignored you." He apologized.

"I'm sorry too," Peter added.

Steve forced a smile. "It's alright, I understand. Just next time, talk to me about it, okay?" He said. Harley and Peter both nodded.

There was a beat of silence. Tony broke it with a devious grin. "You may want to get that nose checked out, Cap."

**Author's Note:**

> See? happy fluff at the end.


End file.
